Karnataka - Bellary   

Lokayukta reiterates case for more powers

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELLARY, NOV. 25. The Lokayukta, N. Venkatachala, today observed that the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, had stressed the need to eradicate corruption.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Venkatachala said that the existing laws were stringent enough to eradicate corruption, but certain amendments were necessary to give the Lokayukta powers to investigate cases and recommend action. "We can eradicate corruption if more powers are given. But the Union and State Governments lack the political will to do so," he said.

Mr. Venkatachala said that he had urged the State Government to grant more powers to the Lokayukta and expressed concern over the Government's lukewarm response.

Most corrupt

About his weeklong tour of the district, he said, "Compared to the other districts in the State, Bellary is the worst as corruption is deep-rooted. People in the district are innocent and are being exploited. The employees in the town and taluk panchayats admit to accepting bribes and say that a percentage of the amount goes to the panchayat president."

He expressed concern over the failure of the Government in containing the problem. "The Government should give special attention towards curbing corrupt practices," he said. He said that he had directed the Deputy Commissioner and the chief executive officer of the zilla panchayat to conduct inquiry against 15 employees, submit a report, and initiate action against them. He said that he had seized files from several offices and would be looking into the matter and would recommend action against those found guilty.

The Lokayukta visited several government offices including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes hostel, Vijaynagar Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, the office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, and the Bellary Municipal Corporation, and found several lapses in their functioning.

The Head of the Task Force on Health, H. Sudarshan, was present.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Lokayukta reiterates case for more powers
State ophthalmological conference from today

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu